September 4, 2015 The case for the defense

The prosecution had wrapped up their closing arguments. Their case was a simple, straightforward summation of the known facts. Edmund didn’t see what else there was to say, but now was the defense’s turn.

Leonard Clump stepped up to the lectern. He looked around the courtroom a moment, and then smiled genially at the jury. As he spoke, Edmund found himself developing a grudging admiration for the man’s speaking skills. He had a deep, warm, mellow voice and easily fell into a rhythm that made you want to nod along to everything he was saying. You had to deliberately make yourself pay attention to notice that what he was saying was absolute madness.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my client Darryl Simmons held the gun that terrible day. No one is disputing that. But you are called today, not merely to judge the facts of whether a certain action was done, but if a man is guilty. And though Mr. Simmons held the gun that day, it was not his will that pulled the trigger.

“As I have shown you at length over the past several days, Mr. Simmons has been subject to the environmental toxin we call ‘racism.’ It creates an environment of continuous stress, economic disadvantage, and social disillusionment that can lead individuals to the brink. And much like other pollutants, an environment of racism can cause serious long-term harm, can even produce, in extreme cases, aberrant behavior. If a man, through no fault of his own, were exposed to chemicals that temporarily put him out of his right mind, we would not hold him responsible for his actions in that time. Just so here.

“My client, ladies and gentlemen, was failed by society before he ever failed society. Yes, it was Mr. Simmons’s hand that held the gun, but it was not his will that pulled the trigger. It was the environment of racism and bigotry that pervades our entire country, that diminishes all of us, that is responsible for the events of that tragic day. And to declare this man guilty is to perpetuate, no, to increase, that toxic environment of racism.

“This isn’t about absolving guilt or evading responsibility, it is about recognizing that some things, like systemic racism, bear their own share of guilt. Our decision today will have implications far beyond this courtroom’s walls. It will be a statement on whether or not we are ready to acknowledge the systemic issues at hand and seek remedial actions rather than simply meting out punishment. I submit to you that the only way to prevent tragedies like this in the future is to find this man not guilty.”

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